#Bruno: Oh you know the embodiment of time wants me to watch his kid

[hugsandchaos]

Bruno’s room is weird. The pit seems to go up forever, but it doesn’t. If you manage to climb the wall all the way to the top, you’ll be in a small section of the Long Now.

Yes, Bruno has met Clockwork. Yes, he knows what he is. No, he doesn’t worship him or pray to him. Yes, he’s understandably scared of him.

That’s why when Clockwork asked him to watch his student next week for a few hours, Bruno was silent at the dinner table. This could either go very well or very badly.

Wait… He did tell them who Clockwork is, right?

[mrsgiovanna]

Near misses and first kisses (Don Giorno x Fem!Reader)

As one can see, the naming conventions still leave a lot to be desired. This was a cute request from a nonnie mouse. I hope you enjoy the read my sweet. This takes place in an AU where everyone makes it.

TW: none, just fluff

Word count: 1.2 k

You two were the youngest couple in the room, and yet you had still commanded the attention of the entire ballroom. Well, “couple” was a bit of an overstatement, it was just that you were always the one accompanying the young don Giovanna when there was a formal event to attend and he needed someone elegant on his arm, being one of the few people close to him, it was only natural that you would be the one to go.

Everyone around you always marveled at how elegantly you had carried yourselves, despite your tender ages, you worked the room like seasoned professionals allowing him to seamlessly embody he title of Don of Passione. Tonight’s grand dinner was slightly different though, Giorno had been acting out of sorts for the better part of the evening and your attention had been spread so thinly you barely had a chance to check on your companion. Even the others had noticed the difference in him and looked to you for an explanation, however you were unable to offer one. You and Giorno had always been close. Being the first person he bonded with when joining Passione, most of his free time outside of running the organization would be spent with you. It’s not like you had minded in any case, there was a kinship, or familiarity that you shared with just Giorno, a bond that was unique to just you two.

Watching Giorno from across the room, you saw his strained smile, the slight grimace each time someone beckoned for his attention, you wanted to save him from a few overly eager patrons, when you were dragged away by a few overly eager friends of your own.

“(y/n)! you gotta help us, come on, we’ll explain as we walk there,” said Narancia, perhaps louder than he would have liked to, drawing Giorno’s gaze toward the small commotion.

“Nara, calm down, tell me what happened…” trying to get the full story from your flustered friend. Thankfully, by the time you had gotten to the scene, Bruno had sorted the problem out without as much as breaking a sweat.

“Well, if everything’s okay, I’ll head back… what?” before you could fully turn around to rejoin the party inside, you looked at the former bodyguard squad of Passione, all giving you the same teasing expression they always did before they bombarded you with lighthearted jibes regarding your relationship with the young don of Passione. Your eyes pleaded with them to grant you some respite from their questions, however this was not the case.

“Guys, don’t make her uncomfortable, (y/n) return to Giorno, he’ll be looking for you, the rest of you, go back inside, there’s nothing going on here,” interjected Bucciarati, offering you a chance to escape, which you gladly exploited, mouthing an emphatic thank you to your raven haired savior, the clattering of your designer heels echoing in the foyer as you ran off. Bruno had always had a soft spot for you, treating you more like a younger sister than a soldatessa.

He noticed the gradual change in your interactions with Giorno, and would always smile knowingly when confronted with questions regarding the dons slow burning fascination with you. He was thankful that the risky plan had paid off all those years ago, and felt happy to see you and Giorno finally taking the time to focus on yourselves as opposed to dedicating every moment to the organization. As things began to settle down and Passione was finally the type of organization he could be proud of, he had gradually taken over a few more activities from Giorno, affording the young man some time to make up for the years he had lost in his youth, and fortunately, all of those plans had included you.

From seaside vacations, to trips to snow peaked mountains, you both relished in these novel experiences that were once just a dream, fashioning a bond that grew ever stronger with each shared experience.

“Nara, why are you always messing with her?” quizzed Trish while rolling her eyes as Mista slung an arm around her dainty shoulders.

“I don’t know, it’s fun I guess, (y/n) used to be really close to us before everything got so busy, I guess I just miss those times… don’t you Mista?”

“I guess, a lot has changed… we’ve grown up… we’re responsible for a whole lot more than we once were, it’s only natural that we drift a bit,” reasoned the gunslinger. “That doesn’t mean we aren’t there for each other any longer, come on, lets go back in, the pistols aren’t going to feed themselves,”.

“You’re kidding right? All they do is help themselves to my stuff!” retorted Narancia, walking back with the others to rejoin the festivities of the evening.

As the crowd of bubbly partygoers thinned out, you both decided to escape to the balcony overlooking the stunning Naples skyline. Looking around just once more, you took off the heels that had now become a new-age torture device and shrank a few inches which Giorno found hilarious, letting out a small laugh as he looked down at you.

“Hey! There used to be a time when you couldn’t look down your nose at me like that,”

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear you from all the way down there,”

“Oh, so that’s how you’re choosing to play it? I’ll beat you at your own game Gio,”

“Are you testing me, (y/n)?

“Maybe…” you shot Giorno a flirtatious look as you hoisted yourself onto the railing of the balcony, giving yourself the height you needed to get closer to his eyelevel,”

“Eh, I’ve never been phased by tests anyway,” he countered, keeping a watchful eye on you. Despite gripping the railing with both hands, you underestimated the lack of traction your silky outfit offered and began to slip, fortunately for you though, Giorno’s quick reflexes saw to it that you were safely ensconced in his arms.

“Thank you… I… why are you looking at me like that?”

“Oh? So you’ve finally noticed?” Giorno cocked his brow, staring you down again, only this time his face was being drawn closer to yours as if being enacted upon by a magnetism that you both couldn’t counter… not that either of you wanted to. Abandoning your thoughts, you both allowed yourselves to fall gently into the kiss, lips overlapped as he captured your bottom lip between his. Faces moving in sync with each other, you felt as if you would float off if it weren’t for the pair of strong arms holding on to your hips. All too quickly, the magical kiss had ended and you were left yearning for the closeness you both shared just moments ago.

“Listen, (y/n), I’m sorry, this isn’t how I wanted to-”

Silencing him with your thumb brushing against his bottom lip as you held the side of his burning red face, your eyes pleaded with him, but your lips said it out aloud, “Do it again, Gio… kiss me again…”. Not needing a second invitation, the young don honoured your request, weaving his fingers into your hair.

Enraptured by each other, completely oblivious to the tiny audience of your most loved friends watching fondly through the glass door, you and Giorno spent the rest of the night in each other’s warm embrace, relishing the newfound sense of intimacy that was all borne from one impulsive kiss.

[taetaespeaches]

YES i want the explanations of the songs if u don't mind 🥺

I don’t mind at all, lovely. I spent way too much time on this but it combines the couples and music so I had fun with it haha. It’s long so I put a keep reading tab. Enjoy my novel <3 

This is in reference to this ask by @jenjensworld, in which I list songs that remind the boys of their longterm girlfriends. 

Oh and here’s a playlist with all the songs. 

Jin:

↬ Song 6; George Ezra — It’s really romantic and the first time he heard it he thought it sounded just like Poopsie. It incorporates that whole idea that while everyone else is out there searching for something, he’s just always looking for Poopsie.

The raindrops keep falling, searching for a home My televisions gasping for air And everybody's searching, searching for a reason But I'm, woah I'm, searching for you

↬ Feels Right; Carly Rae Jepsen — This song incorporates the idea of being friends plus mores, and kind of waiting for the right moment to take that step into the “more”. Plus it’s just really fun and Jin sees/hears Poopsie and their relationship in the sound of the song.

True fact Baby, I love you back, don't ask Nothing I want to say We know timing isn't right (Maybe one day) 'Til then, steal me a free weekend You're my complicated friend I'm just keeping the dream alive

Yoongi:

↬ Sanctuary; Joji — Once Yoongi realizes that there’s definitely no not loving Kid, he finds that she’s his sanctuary and that he wants to be that for her. And he’s all in. It’s just that feeling of wanting to be each other’s piece of peace.

Not anyone, you're the one More than fun, you're the sanctuary 'Cause what you want is what I want Sincerity

↬ Finally// beautiful stranger; Halsey — Yoongi is guarded at first and it takes him a bit (as we know) to allow him and Kid to just be together. Even though he’s scared, he knows he only wants Kids and he soon realizes that she’s the one person he knows he can fully trust- in terms of both trusting himself in a relationship as well as trusting someone else with his heart.

And I wonder if it goes too far to say I've never recognized a purer face You stopped me in my tracks and put me right in my place Used to think that loving meant a painful chase But you're right here now and I think you'll stay

Hobi:

↬ Outta My Head; Khalid (with John Mayer) —  Considering Petal wasn’t keen on Hobi at first and had to warm up to him (though she did so fairly easily because… it’s Hobi) he had this whole experience of feeling like “I can’t get you out of my head, I’m very fond of you and I will wait forever until you’re ready”. They had their “probationary friends” period that he was always kind of like yeah ok, but when can I just wife you up?

You locked the door and it’s raining  But baby, I’m not complaining, no We hit the road and we're racin’ yeah You make me super impatient Can you feel the tension? You've got my attention I know we're just friends, but I'd rather be together instead, yeah

↬ Home; Surfaces — It’s such a simple song and I think Hobi thinks it sounds like Petal. She’s pretty straight forward but she makes him feel light and grounded all at once. The lyrics talk about making a home out of a person which is definitely how Hobi feels about Petal, but the musicality is very airy, which resembles how he feels like he’s floating in her presence. I just imagine him hearing this song for the first time and thinking, “yeah, that’s Petal in a song”

And I don't ever have to go far Because home is wherever you are

And if I said forever, do you think that would be alright? Cause if I say I love you, then I could never love you not

Namjoon:

↬ Spin With You; Emma Sameth (feat. Jeremy Zucker) — The whole song is all about not knowing exactly what direction the relationship is going, but you’re in it together wherever it leads, and that’s really how Joon and Daisy started.

In bed with the bottle open Give me that sweet shot of lovin' No, I don't know where we're going But I wanna be alone with you

↬ Every Kind Of Way; H.E.R. — Joon is just very soft for Daisy and this song, sound and lyrics, make him think of her. It doesn’t get better than her and Namjoon wants to give her all of him.

Give you all, give you all of me When you need it 'Cause I need it I wanna fall like your favorite season I'll never get up Stay here forever, babe It don't get no better than this Your kiss

Jimin:

↬ Love You For A Long Time; Maggie Rogers — Right away, Jimin knew Dear was going to be a special person in his life, and being a sentimental cutie, he’s always thinking back on their relationship. The one thing he knew from the very start was that he wanted her in his life forever. He also just thinks this song sounds like Dear.

I saw your face, and I knew it was a sign And I still think about that moment All of the time

And in the mornin' when you wrap me up I know that forever could never be enough I feel it in my body Know it in my mind, oh I I'm gonna love you for a long time

↬ Let’s Fall in Love for the Night; FINNEAS — Again, Jimin and Dear knew they were into each other from the start, but they played the game and waited until they were both ready. As Dear was going back to her ex time and time again, Jimin was always there being the perfect gentleman, reminding her of what she deserved. So this song makes him think of their flirty and longing friendship.

You need a pick me up? I'll be there in twenty-five I like to push my luck So take my hand, let's take a drive I've been livin' in the future Hopin' I might see you sooner I want you riding shotgun I knew when I got one right

Taehyung:

↬ Easily; Bruno Major — Years of pining, denying feelings, and watching Peaches date other people, this song never fails to make Tae think of her. It’s a reminder to him and her that just because they’ve been through their trials and tribulations, it doesn’t mean they’re not worth it. The song sounds like Peaches, and the lyrics resemble their relationship in that they’ve never been perfect or had their shit together when it came to each other, but Peaches was always worth the effort for Tae.

Coming and going Inside out and back to front All tangled and messy That's how we've been and we'll always be And that's alright with me

↬ You Send Me; Sam Cooke — This song has always been the embodiment of Peaches in Tae’s eyes. The slow swing, the soul, and the lyrics. Tae has never found anyone quite as interesting as Peaches, and as feelings developed and became more prominent, he realized this was the one person he wanted forever.

At first I thought it was infatuation But wooh, it's lasted so long Now I find myself wanting To marry you and take you home, woah

Jungkook:

↬ by my side; HONNE — Once Jungkook realizes he can be open and vulnerable with Holly, she becomes his rock and this song is just all about that. It’s just such an appreciation for this person who is always by your side, especially when you need someone, and that’s Holly for him.

You pick me up Any time that I start sinking lower And I think to myself What would life be if I didn’t know ya? You were the spark That lit the path To carry on

↬ Easy Silence; The Chicks — Again, Holly is Jungkook’s peace, his home, his strength when he can’t find his own, and this song makes him think of her because of that. When the world is loud and he’s struggling to navigate his way through it, Holly is always there to provide him with comfort and peace. Also, yeehaw, Country Boi Guk rise!!!

And I've got all the world to lose But I just want to hold on to the Easy silence that you make for me It's okay when there's nothing more to say to me And the peaceful quiet you create for me And the way you keep the world at bay for me

[nerdmars]

South Sacramento native Phil “S.B.” Tayag is largely known as the founding member of hip-hop dance collective The Jabbawockeez. The crew burst onto the scene after their 2008 victory in the inaugural season of America’s Best Dance Crew, and their signature white masks have since become part of pop culture.

The group's success is nothing minor, as they’ve enjoyed a residency at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand for the past eight years, performed during the 2016 and ‘17 NBA Finals in their native California, and appeared all over television.

Tayag has the pleasure of being able to say that he always saw success for him and his crew. But S.B. also envisioned his career path going in a different direction. “When I was in high school, I thought that I would work with a huge important artist. I just always wanted to collaborate,” he says.

Today, it is clear that he's seen the vision through — Tayag's recent work shows that he’s living his dreams out. In fact, he has become the go-to guy of one of music's biggest stars: Bruno Mars. Tayag has worked with Bruno on his smash Mark Ronson collab "Uptown Funk,” the Super Bowl 50 halftime show, and most recently, the now-viral “Finesse” remix video.

Check out Phil Tayag discussing the "Finesse" remix video, and the chemistry he shares with Bruno Mars, below.

When did you start with dancing and choreography?

Jabbawockeez is the crew that kind extends from even the early '90s, and I'm still rocking with those guys today. But I just knew that I always wanted to do what I loved to do, I wasn't concerned with anything outside of this art world. I went to school, barely finished high school, finished up at a continuation school in South Sac, just because I was already traveling, doing shows up and down the west coast. I just committed to it, man.

We ended up doing this show, America's Best Dance Crew, in 2008, and it kind of started this whole wave. A culture shock as far as this style of dance and how we did stuff. Ever since then, it's definitely been a rollercoaster, being an artist coming from nothing to getting that type of recognition. We're still hungry, we're still doing stuff. I think after we even got the residency at MGM [Grand] and have been out here ever since. You know, seven years now.... It's 2018 huh? (laughs) Well we're going on eight years out here in Vegas and about five years ago, Bruno reached out, and the rest is history man. We've been doing videos since “Uptown Funk,” and here we are, I'm talking to Billboard.

When did you and Bruno get properly acquainted?

We were putting up our show at the Luxor [in Las Vegas] and I wanna say this was 2013 or 2014. But Bruno had reached out because he actually wanted me to get down on his record "Treasure," and at the time I was two weeks in with our grand opening for our show at Luxor, called Prism. I was super excited that he had reached out, but it was just bad timing. So it didn't work out, and then he ended up going on tour for like a year too, so I didn't hear from him. I thought kinda missed the bus.

When he got off the tour a year or two later, he hit me up again and was like, "Hey, Phil, I got the record that I want you to get down on. And it was "Uptown Funk."

When he reached out to do "Uptown Funk," what was going through your head?

Well first of all, he let me listen to the record... I listen to a lot of different kinds of music, and good music is good music. My pops is a big fan of music, and so I grew up listening to everything from The Beatles, to David Sanborn, to Bob Marley, to Morris Day. I was definitely listening to Jimi [Hendrix]. When I heard this record, I was like, "Oh shit, this is just a classic." This a record that's gonna play at every wedding from now to 20 years later. Those are the hits, the classics, that you wanna play when you're celebrating one of the biggest, greatest times of your life.

I felt that way instantly about "Uptown Funk," and so I knew it was nothing to play with. Obviously it did a thing after it came out and we were right, my gut was right as far as how huge this record was. So it was definitely dope to be a part of that history for sure.

How did the "Finesse" remix choreography come to life? How does the creative process go?

I think that we definitely bounce ideas off of each other from the inception. And I think the song itself is pretty self-explanatory, you're already gonna think of a certain era, you're already thinking '90s. We're thinking about how to touch on that world but also still make it fresh and new. Like, how people do cover songs? We didn't want to just do a cover song, how do you remix that song? We didn't want to just cover In Living Color; how could we still make it fresh at the same time?

But going back and forth about the '90s era and all that, I guess you kind of just have to realize what's in front of you. So Bruno's like, "What if we do In Living Color?" At that time, I was probably Facetime-ing him — wearing like Reebok Pumps. Obviously we were kind of stirring that pot, and as soon as he said that, after all the ideas that we might have tossed around, that one stuck and we just went full-throttle. He reached out to the powers that be on that end with the In Living Color thing, got the blessing, and we just rocked out.

What was the energy like working on the "Finesse" set? I'm sure Cardi B was fun to be around.

That whole shoot day was kind of just celebrating, you've got real people that are in the game right now. It wasn't any funny stuff, it wasn't all Hollywood. I gotta shout out my dancers that I was able to put on the project: Danielle Polanco, Bianca Brewton, TJ Lewis, and Ysabelle Capitulé. These artists are big in the dance world, and I've been waiting to have an opportunity to collab and work with them. Especially with the female artists, because I haven't been working with female artists since everything with Jabbawockeez popped off, being that it was an all-male group.

I think that Cardi is a blessing to the game. I just think that she's a good-ass person. I think the humility that she has... When we see her, I feel like we see one of us making it. Like one of the homies from the hood. She's just a culture shock at the same time, because of how real she is, and how unfiltered she is. But really, that's how people are without trying to curate it, and trying to be a superstar. She's not trying to be a superstar, she just is.

It was really just dope to see her in person, and she's the same way that you would probably see her on Instagram, she just isn't a front. So when Bruno had told me that she was on the remix, I was like, "This is perfect." We were paying homage, but now there's this twist because Cardi B is the shit right now. So it's always a blessing to see real people make it.

You've pretty much become Bruno’s go-to guy as far as choreography. What have you learned from him and from working around him?

You know what, here's the blessing: I knew when I was really young, like when I was in high school, I thought that I would work with a huge important artist. I just always wanted to collaborate. At the time, and it's kind of weird, but there was a point in time where I thought I was going to... Well, I wanted to choreograph for Aaliyah. This was probably when I was a freshman; it was a big deal, obviously, when she passed. But then we started to develop the crew thing, and stuff started to pop off with the Jabbawockeez.

But there's always been a part of me that wanted to really collaborate and help another artist and really do their repertoire and style, and the whole visual side of their art. Because dance, music, singing, writing -- they all go hand-in-hand. And I don't think people really recognize or really respect how important the video aspect is. That's why we love, for example, Michael Jackson -- because not only did he write, produce, record, and sing his own music but he was an embodiment of his music as well. He curated the entire package when it came to his art form and music.

I wanted to kind of get my chance and see what I could do with an artist out there. It never really hit me -- it's not like Bruno was my target artist that I really wanted to build with, but after "Uptown Funk," I realized... duh. This guy, he writes his music, he produces, he's a great performer. He's one of those artists that has the whole package, and I realized that after "Uptown Funk" that he was nothing to play with. This cat was serious.

And what I learned from him moving forward is just to embrace who you are. I mean that's what I've always been about, and it's weird because we're so similar. He's born October 8, I'm born October 9, we're both Libras. It's the same humor and the same vibe. We have really humble beginnings to, and I think you can see that in our art today where it's not from entitlement, we're not disconnected from the people. We come from that and still live that. I think that's where a lot of our inspiration is drawn from, our beginnings, our humble foundations, and every one that we kind of grew up with. Here we are doing In Living Color, and it's just celebrating another time that we have all been influenced by.

I feel like now, creating with my brother Bruno, it's just a celebration every time. We just get in the studio, and we're doing the same thing we'd be doing if we were dead-ass broke. It's just celebrating the fact that we have an idea and we can make it come to life.

Being that the song is so '90s in vibe, who are some '90s era dancers that you looked up to?

Definitely New Edition and New Kids On The Block. I can't even front, man. I really watched them on VHS and stuff, I loved watching them get down. Fast forward, we ended up touring with [with NKOTB] in 2009, and it was just a trip because these guys were like a big inspiration, and here I am on tour with them. And I still talk to them to this day -- Donnie Wahlberg, that's my big bro. We got a lot of respect for our elders and for the OGs, that's why I felt like we had some really really big shoes to fill when trying to pay homage to this era.